My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
“turn it into a giving contest”
What It Means
Instead of measuring what you get from relationships, focus on what you can contribute and give to make the relationship stronger
Why It Matters
Shifts relationships from zero-sum competition to positive-sum collaboration, preventing the tit-for-tat dynamics that destroy partnerships
When It's True
When working with trustworthy people who will reciprocate over time, and when you can afford to give more than you receive short-term
When It's Risky
With people who consistently take advantage, or when your own needs aren't being met at all
How to Apply
Ask 'how can I give more?' instead of 'what am I getting?'
Stop keeping score in relationships
Focus on expanding the total pie rather than your slice
Example Scenario
“Instead of thinking 'I handled the last client crisis so my business partner should handle this one,' think 'how can I best support us through this crisis regardless of who did what before?'”
Related Knowledge
what an opportunity
Reframing setbacks and mistakes as chances to learn and improve rather than failures to regret
skill issue
Many problems we attribute to external circumstances or inherent difficulty are actually learnable skills that can be im
Curiosity is a superpower
Genuine curiosity about others creates disproportionate advantages in relationships, learning, and business outcomes
Forest Fire Conflict Model
Conflicts don't start as fights - they begin as accumulated small irritations (like dry brush on forest floor) that rema
Gottman's Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Four communication patterns that predict relationship failure: criticism (attacking character), contempt (superiority/di
Gottman's 5:1 Magic Ratio
Successful relationships maintain at least 5 positive interactions for every 1 negative interaction.